Slater v. Willige

16 App. D.C. 364, 1900 U.S. App. LEXIS 5304
CourtCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
DecidedApril 3, 1900
DocketNo. 968
StatusPublished

This text of 16 App. D.C. 364 (Slater v. Willige) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Slater v. Willige, 16 App. D.C. 364, 1900 U.S. App. LEXIS 5304 (D.C. Cir. 1900).

Opinion

Mr. Chief Justice Alvey

delivered the opinion of the Court:

[365]*365The question presented in this case arises upon the return to a writ of certiorari, issued from this court to the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, requiring certain proceedings had in that court, upon an appeal pending therein taken from a judgment of a justice of the peace, to be certified to this court for examination, upon the allegation of the want of jurisdiction for a certain proceeding, taken in said Supreme Court.

It appears by the return to the writ that the judgment of the justice of the peace, from which the appeal was taken, was obtained by John G. Slater, the petitioner for the writ of certiorari, against J. Louis Willige, on the 5th day of May, 1899. That an appeal was entered by the defendant in the judgment, and the appeal was duly perfected, and the papers and proceedings were regularly filed in the clerk’s office of the Supreme Court, according to law. Upon the filing of the appeal, a summons was issued for the appellee in the appeal, as directed by the statute, but which summons was returned by the marshal “Not served because marshal’s fee not paid — 11th day of January, 1900.”

It is clear, the court below acquired complete jurisdiction of the cause, but it had not acquired jurisdiction of the person of the appellee in the appeal. The provisions of the statute by which such jurisdiction can be acquired are specific, and no other method can be effectually adopted. The whole procedure is one prescribed by statute, and unless the terms of the statute be adhered to no rightful jurisdiction of the person of the appellee can be obtained. It therefore becomes necessary to examine the provisions of the statute, prescribing the method by which the person of the appellee can be lawfully subjected to the jurisdiction of the appellate court, in order to determine whether jurisdiction was acquired of the appellee in this case, so as to bind or conclude him by the judgment that might be rendered on the hearing of the appeal.

By section 1027, Rev. Stats. D. C., it is provided, that [366]*366appeals from'judgments of justices of the peace shall be heard and determined as provided in sections 774 to 779 of the Rev. Stats. D. C.

By section 774, provision is made for docketing the appeal in the Supreme. Court, by the clerk thereof, with direction that he “shall issue a summons for the appellee to appear at the next trial term of the court.” And by section 777, it is provided, that “in any case of appeal from the decision of a justice of the peace, where two summonses against the appellee shall be returned non est, or one attachment returned non est, and the appellee shall not appear, the court may proceed to hear and determine the case in the same mannér as if the appellee had regularly appeared.”

These are the provisions of the statute in relation to appeals from justices of the peace, and for summoning and bringing in the appellee. But there are certain other provisions relating to such appeals, prescribed by rule of court. By common law rule of the Supreme Court of the District, No. 96, it is provided, that “As soon as the appellant shall have made the deposit for costs required by law, or obtained leave from one of the justices, or,from the court, to prosecute his appeal without deposit, the clerk shall docket the cause and issue a summons for the appellee to appear at the next trial term of the court, occurring ten days after the rendition of the judgment of the justice of the peace.” And, by section 2 of that rule, it-is provided, that.“if the appellant shall neglect to -pay the marshal’s fee for serving such summons, then the marshal shall return the summons 'not served because fee not paid,’ and, thereupon, on motion, the court may dismiss said appeal.”

Whether all the provisions and limitations of this rule of court are strictly within the meaning and purview of the sections of the statute to which we have referred, to which the rule must be subordinate, is a question that we need not now decide. It is not necessarily presented in this case.

It appears that, upon the return of the summons that was [367]*367issued for the appellee, with the marshal’s return thereon, the appellee Slater appeared specially, in his own proper person, for the purpose of objecting to the jurisdiction of the court, and not for any other purpose, and moved to dismiss the appeal, on the ground that the summons had not been served upon him, but had been returned “not served, because fee was not paid.” But the court overruled the • motion, and refused to dismiss the appeal. This ruling was clearly within the discretion of the court. Upon that ruling the summons should have been renewed for the appellee, and further time given for having the summons served and returned, as by reasonable implication is clearly authorized to be done, by section 775 of Rev. Stats. D. C. But instead of pursuing that course to bring in the appellee, the court, assuming that it had not acquired jurisdiction of the person of the appellee to entitle it to proceed to a hearing and disposition of the case, passed the following order:

“The appeal in this cause having been properly docketed and the summons for the appellee properly issued, but not served on the appellee because of the non-payment of the marshal’s fee therefor; and it appearing to the satisfaction of the court that the failure to pay the same was due to inadvertence, it is, this 25th day of January, 1900, ordered that the said appellee do cause his appearance to be entered in this cause within ten days after the service of a copy of this order upon him, exclusive of Sundays and legal holidays, or the case will he proceeded with as in case of default.

“Chas. C. Cole, Asso. Justice.”

It is to this order that objection is taken, and upon which question is made as to the jurisdiction or power of the court to pass it, and, upon failure of the appellee to appear, to proceed with the case as upon default of appearance. And the first question is, had the court'power or jurisdiction to make such order, or could it enforce such order by any process as for contempt?

[368]*368We think it very clear that the order is not such process as is contemplated by the statute. It is neither a summons, to be served and returned as such, nor is it an attachment. It requires no special official service and return, such as “served,” or “non est,” in order to justify the court in proceeding to hear and determine the case, and upon which the judgment of the court in determining the appeal must rest for its validity, as if the appellee had been duly served and appeared, under the statute. As we have already said, the method of proceeding in prosecuting appeals from judgments of justices of the peace is wholly statutory, and the mode prescribed must be strictly pursued, in regard to everything necessary to clothe the appellate court with jurisdiction of both the cause and of the parties thereto. No mere substituted process or substituted service of process will answer the purpose. The principle is elementary, and too well settled to require discussion or the citation of authorities for its support. In the case of Amy v. Watertown, 130 U. S.

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Related

Amy v. Watertown
130 U.S. 301 (Supreme Court, 1889)

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Bluebook (online)
16 App. D.C. 364, 1900 U.S. App. LEXIS 5304, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/slater-v-willige-cadc-1900.